15 Foods That Act Like Natural Laxatives

Join our monthly Healthy Living Newsletter. Take control of your health today!

How often do you find yourself eating foods that cause constipation? If your answer is “often,” then you are not alone. Be proud of yourself for admitting the truth and for writing it down, because that is a great starting place to begin taking proactive action steps, consistently over time, toward improving your health.

Common sense tells us that if we can willfully walk into a bad situation, then we can certainly choose to walk out of one. The key here is to never lose hope and to take action!

The following fifteen foods possess a natural laxative effect, which can help relieve common symptoms of constipation, as well as many other intestinal ailments. Before you start taking laxatives or stool softeners, try incorporating more of these “laxative foods” into your diet. You will be surprised at how well they work.

15 Natural Laxative Foods

1. Raw Fruits

Fruits like bananas, apples, melons and a variety of berries are extremely high in liquid-content, which helps the body wash out toxins. They are also very easy to digest and high in antioxidants, nutrients, fiber and many important vitamins like vitamin C.

Bananas: High in fiber and a natural bulk-producing laxative, bananas are great for promoting easy digestion. Since bananas are high in potassium, eating a banana a day will help restore valuable electrolytes to your intestinal tract. Additionally, they contain a natural compound called fructooligosaccharide, which can help encourage beneficial bacteria in your intestinal tract.

Apples: The high pectin levels in apples stimulate the bowels and also provide bulk for bowel movements. One of the best natural laxative foods is organic apple cider vinegar. Just pour a small amount into a glass of purified water and drink it in the morning.

Melons: A melon is a great way to start the day because they are one of the easiest foods to digest. Melons actually proceed directly to the intestines when consumed. If they are held up in the stomach by other foods, they will decompose quickly and ferment.

Berries: Extremely high in antioxidants, berries rank among my favorite foods. I recommend the following 8 berries to consume during a colon cleanse and on a daily basis afterwards – Blueberries, strawberries, bilberries, cranberries, blackberries, Goji Berries, acai berries and cherries.

Note: When possible, consume fruits and vegetables that are organic (pesticide free), seasonal, and fresh.

2. Prunes

Recognized as “nature’s laxative,” prunes are naturally rich in antioxidants, vitamin A, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber. Additionally, prunes provide beneficial bacteria to the intestines, thereby making it a great addition to any colon cleansing diet.

3. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

As mentioned earlier, one of the best natural laxative foods is raw apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar may help improve bowel irregularity, thereby removing toxins from the body at a faster rate. Beneficial ingredients in raw apple cider vinegar include potassium, pectin, malic acid, calcium, ash, and acetic acid.

Only raw organic apple cider vinegar has the “mother of vinegar” made up of living nutrients and bacteria, which help make us feel better, look better and feel energized. I personally use Bragg’s organic raw apple cider vinegar on a daily basis. I would recommend this brand of apple cider vinegar over any other brand currently on the market.

4. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is one of the oldest and most popular medicinal plants known to man. The bulk of the aloe vera leaf is filled with gel, which is approximately 99% water. The other 1% contains over at least 75 known nutrients including 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 200 active plan compounds called phytonutrients, enzymes and of course, water.

Besides from growing your own aloe vera plant and using its gel, you can also drink aloe vera juice on a daily basis. Packed full of nutrients, aloe juice will also help provide quick constipation relief.

5. Cayenne Pepper, Ginger & Tumeric

Cooking foods containing spices like organic cayenne pepper, ginger and turmeric help with digestion, and act as great laxative food agents. For example, Cayenne pepper has many health benefits, one of which stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices. Organic, fresh ginger (fresh ginger tea) is considered one of the best spices for maintaining regular digestion. Turmeric is considered the liver’s spice. Turmeric helps boost liver detox, by assisting enzymes that actively flush out known dietary carcinogens.

6. Citrus Fruits: Lemons, Oranges & Limes

These citrus-wonders (notice they are acid fruits) have the greatest detoxification power. They aid the body in flushing out toxins, as well as jump-start the digestive tract with enzymatic processes.

Remember, vitamin C is one of the best detox vitamins around, as it transforms toxins into digestible material. One orange will provide you with approximately 12-15% of your daily recommended fiber.

7. Raw Vegetables

Carrots: High in pectin, they add bulk to stool and can stimulate bowel contractions in addition to being natural body detoxifiers.

Onions: Contain an antioxidant called Quercetin, which is a flavenoid. They contain Vitamin E, Potassium, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, and Fiber. Onions are known to relieve congestion and allergy symptoms, and help to reduce cholesterol. In addition, they remove heavy metals from the body, and help fight cancer of the lungs, bladder, ovaries, and breast.

Garlic: Just a small amount of this pungent white bulb, which holds high amounts of allicin and selenium (two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing) has the ability to activate liver enzymes that helps your body flush out toxins. Adding sliced or cooked garlic to any dish will help aid any detox diet. Additionally, garlic also contains unique properties that make it an excellent fighter against stomach cancer.

Broccoli and Cauliflower: Eating broccoli and cauliflower will increase the amount of glucosinolate in your system, adding to enzyme production in the liver. These natural enzymes help flush out carcinogens, and other toxins, out of our body which significantly lowers our risk of cancer.

Cabbage: Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps flush out toxins, and helps soften the stool during bowel movements. Try eating more kimchi, coleslaw, cabbage soup and sauerkraut.

8. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are great laxative foods, rich in Vitamins C, A, and K. Tomatoes provide you with approximately 10% of your daily fiber needs. Additionally, they are very high in lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect you from developing colon cancer and prostate cancer. If possible, I recommend buying locally-grown, organic tomatoes.

9. Omega-3 Oils

Omega-3 oils such as hemp, flax-seed, avocado or olive oils are great natural laxative cooking food agents, especially when flushing out toxins. These oils will help lubricate the intestinal walls, allowing the toxins to be absorbed by the oil, and eliminated by the body.

10. Leafy Green Vegetables

When you are ready to detox your body, fill your refrigerator with blue green algae, barley, bitter gourd, wheatgrass, kale, spinach, dandelion greens, spirulina, alfalfa, chard, mustard greens, chicory, arugula or other organic leafy greens. Why? They act as great natural, laxative foods high in dietary fiber, calcium, folic acid, Vitamins K and C, and magnesium – all essential nutrients necessary for your body, digestion, and overall health. Furthermore, this will help increase the creation and flow of bile, the substance that removes waste from the organs and blood.

11. Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil improves digestion and bowel function, relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids, reduces inflammation, and supports tissue healing and repair. The best kind to get is organic raw unprocessed extra virgin coconut oil. This will assure you that your product is unrefined, certified organic by USDA standards, and contains no added chemicals or genetically modified additives.

12. Avocados

Avocados are packed with beneficial nutrients such as dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin k and folate. If you eat one avocado a day, it will provide you with approximately 30% of your daily fiber needs. Furthermore, avocado contains Lutein (a carotenoid along with Vitamin E), Magnesium, and monounsaturated (healthy) fats. Avocado helps fight cancer of the mouth, breast, and prostate, and improves skin tone. It also improves absorption of nutrients in other foods.

13. Broccoli Sprouts

Extremely high in antioxidants, broccoli sprouts can help stimulate the detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract like none-other. The sprouts are actually more effective than the fully-grown vegetable.

14. Raw Seeds and Nuts

Incorporate more of the easily digestible raw seeds and raw nuts into your diet. These would include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, siberian cedar nuts and sunflower seeds. They are all rich in fiber, Vitamin E, protein, zinc and other essential nutrients.

15. Beans, Peas & Legumes

Beans, peas, and legumes are low in both fat and cholesterol, and help with digestion. Beans and legumes are high in fiber and protein, therefore great protein substitutes.

Remember to Drink Plenty of Water

Last, but most definitely not least, water is one of the best natural laxative sources for relieving constipation! Every day, drink 8 glasses of purified or distilled water. Water is vital to your body, makes up approximately 80 percent of your body weight, and helps moisten the intestines, regulating bowel flow.

Thank you for your post! Tap water is not actually a food, this was one reason why it wasn’t mentioned in this article. Did you know that there are more than 80 “regulated” contaminants, arsenic, fluoride, chlorine and more unregulated toxins, like the rocket fuel component perchlorate which are present in most tap water.

If you are to use water to help in moving the bowel, I would suggest using distilled or a superior quality filter that can remove these contaminants from the water you do drink. By doing this you should find that the water not only helps with a more regular movement, but it will also allow for better hydration which will allow the body to function optimally.

Thank you for your post, take care and be well!

jellybean78

Would Brita filtered water work?

ghc_health

Jellybean,
Thank you for your post! Brita filters are typically not going to eliminate many of the toxins found in tap water, what I would suggest is using either distilled water or a Wellness Carafe as these will take out the majority of the toxins.

Thank you again for your most, take care and be well!

Healthy??

Jellybean, you can also use the Zero Water pitcher, which may more easily be found in your local Walmart.

Make sure you get enough iodine in your diet and that should help detox chemicals in your body without wasting money on filters, I agree the US has some of the best water in the world and it is near impossible to get out everything bad.

Ajax Manatiso

None of those will actually remove chemicals like flouride and chlorine. You would either need a reverse-osmosis filtering system installed in your home or just buy bottled water purified with the reverse osmosis system.

Truthasaurus Rex

Showering exposes you to more toxins than drinking it…You skin ( the largest organ) absorbs water…You must remove it at the main…There are whole house fluoride filters on E bay for about 400 bucks…

SolBlue

Yes it will! It takes the smell of chlorine out of the water. Taste also. I know I use it on the kitchen faucet. Change every 3 months. It works. Really don’t have to go big expense? reverse osmosis system in the basement etc. Sounds expensive.

SF

Your article does mention water; it’s the very last entry. The commenter was wondering why tap water specifically is not adequate, given that the U.S has one of the world’s purest tap water with the most stringent quality controls.
If you are going to claim that tap water is harmful in anyway, please provide peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals to back that up.
Thank you for the work you do fighting misinformation.

Because your taste buds are totally an accurate analysis of the chemical composition of water, right? my god…

http://twitter.com/nilbud Sean O’Nilbud

You need to get some education, your fear of water is amusing but stupid.

Anon

You’re an ignorant ass.

Flobbadob

So happy that I’ve just had a salad, I’ve included rather a few of these natural laxatives! Happy pooping, chums!

ngsy

ha

asus kybd

CLOSE THE DOOR, STINKY!

mini me

Thank you for the information. It goes right to the point, not a lot of extra information that is needed.

jim

interesting, not sure why taco bell tacos aren’t mentioned though..

TJ

that’s funny as crap!

Amelz

Hahahahaha…funny as CRAP…laxatives page…

Ada Barnes

Ditto Chinese takeout. Always works for me.

BTR_1357

In -n- Out Burger. Immediate reaction.

ISH-Hubby n Wife Duo

lol

emily

It said “natural” laxatives so yea no taco bell on this page hahahaha

Mark Royal

For that matter, White Castle. Those murder-burgers only stay in your system 45 minutes at best.

yesenia

omg!!!!! you are not lying or even joking…. just had taco bell yest and hadnt had it in quitebsome time…. over a year perhaps and another year or two before that…. now i cannot remember yhe previous times but yest within an hour i had the worst stomach cramps and lets just say….. worked better than any cleanse or laxative i have ever had!!!!! lol

asdfasjkldfhalksjdfgh

you got food poisoning dude(t).

http://www.backhomeagain.org/ Steve Wider

Yeah, Right … Garbage Food really will help you!

Rene

Exactly, nothing quite livens up your day like spicy hot seasoned mystery meats wrapped up in a GMO corn taco or white flour tortilla to get that lazy gut working!

DM

Thanks for this, your information actually helped. However I must say that tap water is not to be feared. It also works like a charm.

Mimi

I will concur that the dramatic “NOT tap water” is unfounded and promotes fear in what may be the most regulated and monitored water supply in the country.

CSHoosiers

If you really think this, then I’m sorry for you. There is documentation all over that Fluoride ions contained in our tap water, have major side effects. Do the research and get your head out of the sand.

Brian

the nazis actually administered large doses of fluoride to their prisoners, which destroys intelligence. fluoride is the reason why medical attention is recommended if you swallow large amounts of it

Mark Royal

If you swallow large amounts of ANYTHING, generally you’ll need medical attention.

Gillis

Even water

Gonzo

It actually causes sterility not brain damage…

asus kybd

No wonder I can’t do your sister lately!

Gillis

Which country would that be? You know water systems are done more by municipality and okay to drink and good for you to drink are very different. My municipalities water (as seen by testing several variables is much worse then two towns over…

Debbie Senese

In all honesty, I think perhaps is should read “city water”. We have well water, right out of the ground that comes out of the tap. It is the sweetest water, but is high in minerals. We took a water sample over to be evaluated. It had nothing harmful, and was high in so many minerals that we stopped buying bottled water, and started drinking our well water. So perhaps maybe that could be explained….but yes, fluoride is used in rat poison, why would our cities put it in our water? :/

Lala

How about the fact that tap water just isn’t as good as chilled bottled water?! I only drink bottled water, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t drink any!

Scientist

Actually bottled water is not as heavily regulated as tap water is. It literally comes straight from its source although not sure if the companies filter it or not. If anything I’d argue tap water is more pure than bottled water is.

Ajax Manatiso

I’ve never heard of a boil order on bottled water. Or chlorine being added to bottled water. You can put some mouthwash and a little bleach into bottled water and then you’d have something similar to you tap water.

Lara

Lala, might I suggest watching the documentary “tapped”. It’s readily available on Netflix or Amazon Prime for free!

a&w

You, my friend, should learn to recognise the difference between fact and opinion.

Passion

Tap water is so very bad for you. I shower with a filter and haven’t drank tap water, due to it screwing my health up, since I was 12. Thank you for warning others. 🙂

doomdidoom

Yeah and it probably has nothing to do with all the fast food and soda’s you consume, it must surely be tapwater, which is actually the same as botteled water, only cheaper and more regulated. (see Penn & Teller: Bullshit)

not a pussy like you fags!

You people are tree hugging fags there is nothing wrong with your tap water nobody is out to get you drink your tap water and shut the fuck up these retards that think the water system are just out to make them sick they need to talk to the EPA an the department of environmental management that make the rules for your drinking water so quit crying about fluoride and chlorine it not going to kill you yall are a bunch of pussies!

Tom

Drinking tap water is generally quite safe in the US, and about 1000 times cheaper than bottled water. Purification is only needed if a particular source has adverse taste or odor. I’m a drinking water engineer, and drink a large glass of tap water every morning to move things along.

Ajax Manatiso

1000 times cheaper? My water bill is about $6 a month. I just drink bottled water and I guarantee you I don’t pay $6000 a month. More like $12. There are plenty of water contaminates that are odorless and tasteless (have you ever heard of a boil order?) so I am thinking you are not any kind of engineer at all to say something like that. They are also not called drinking water engineers but, rather, chemists.

The flouride and chlorine in our tap water kills the good gut bacteria and compromises your immune system. Many chronic illnesses such as IBS and Crone’s Disease stem from a lack of good gut bacteria. There is even such a thing as fecal transplant these days to try and transplant good gut bacteria from a vibrantly healthy person to someone suffering from these diseases.

aris

You should try showering and washing your dishes, clothes and car in bottled water and in no time, the elusive target of $6000 will be reached.

Mark Royal

Are you accusing Ajax of not showering?

Mark Royal

My water bill is about $200 a month (NYC), or $2400 a year. I stand to save $2328 a year, good enough for a relatively cheap week long vacation. Where do you live, Ajax? I’m packing as we speak.

Cutie c

I only pay $30 a month for water…i didnt know water could be so expensive lol

nwcolorist

Chlorine can be removed by a charcoal filter, such as the Brita system.

:-p

not crone dis. Dear… It’s a Crohn’s dis.

Nicole

Drinking distilled water is actually very bad for you. It sucks the nutrients out of your body, as it doesn’t have any ions already in it. There are several reports of death from drinking too much distilled water.

You’re An Idiot

Yeah distilled water has too much dihydrogen monoxide in it also, this chemical is far more toxic than fluoride.

anon

Why is there no curry here??

asus kybd

F towel heads, their curry and the lobbies in their motels that WREAK of the stuff!

Kris

Not for nothing but what kind of doctor recommends drinking distilled water, that is very dangerous

Maximillian

why what happens?

idiots

you create a black hole

Mcd53

My brother married a Mexican (for a very short time) and he could never understand why his son always had diarrhea and a sore bottom.

Ariel

So basically, the natural foods that our body is meant to digest are the ones that are good for us, and digest the best.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/ Global Healing Center

Pretty much, it doesn’t need to be complicated!

Zann Lynne

where is the corn???? corn should be on this list….. like the kid on that show said.. “it’s like a lilttle bookmark for your poop”..

groovellous1 .

Coconut oil can be a diabolical laxative. I can’t have any if I want to retain last night’s dinner…

nwcolorist

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our water comes from the snow covered Cascade mountains. Probably some of the best tasting water in the US. But people here drink tons of bottled water. Must be the power of advertising.

Also, I’ve found that banana can create, not cure, constipation.

IsRaeLi_BaBe29

Ripe bananas are best for keeping intestines moving, whereas unripe bananas are more likely to cause constipation due to their higher starch content.
Unripe bananas actually help to treat diarrhea because they contain pectin.

nwcolorist

I’m visiting my son and family in Indiana and my 2 year old granddaughter is having a bout with constipation. Thanks for the tip.

brit

bananas are known to constipate you…not as a laxative. definitely do NOT eat bananas to relieve constipation, you’ll be worse off.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/ Global Healing Center

Green bananas contain a lot of starch which is hard to digest and can slow things down. Ripe bananas contain a lot of fiber. If you stay hydrated you should stay regular.

kit

why aren’t hot pockets on here?

roxie

tap water from mexico

mpart

For everyone that thinks tap water is the problem…….Bottled water also contains allot of hazards, more then tap water…. The bottle its self is plastic,…ships to us from another country in the heat and depending upon how long the bottle has sat in storage the more chemicals from the plastic are released into the water. Plus allot of companies add artificial minerals to the water such as processed table salt and added potassium…..I myself would much perfur tap water, it goes through vigarious filters and is tested to be safe for consumption before we drink it. Spring water is often not even tested and comes from a different country.

Kevin

Thank you for the information.
Lets keep up the crap jokes and to address the controversy of tap water being harmful or not (allot of the comments I’ve read here), try using the search engine ” Google Scholar”.
I do not want to post a link on this page, so go see what you can find if you are in question!
Happy days everyone!

Julie Cyr LeBlanc

sounds like a big joke to all of you, but if your posting on here, you must have looked this up, Some people need a life, There are actual people that suffer immensely from constipatation, its not a joke. Grow up people

My tap water(in US) comes from an aquafer and has a type of chlorine and a little fluoride(1ppm like most in the US). Our aquafer water is essentially spring water and naturally filtered. Flouride will never be dangerous in the amounts used in tap water. At 1ppm you would have to drink over 1000 gallons at once to get fluoride toxicity at 5-10 grams. Google fluoride toxicity if you want to. Water is fluorinated mostly for children to reduce tooth decay and has been studied extensively.

Fluoride added to city water at 1 PPM is proven to NOT harmful to humans (or rats, for that matter) and is very effective at preventing tooth decay. Also, “bottled” water is only water that comes from someone else’s backyard. It’s neither “purified” nor “better for you” its just water from somewhere else usually taken from communities who can’t afford to fight the legal battle with Aquafina (PepsiCo) or Dasani (Coca Cola) when they buy property with water sources and then “mine” the hell out of it taking it from communities that need it leaving a dry barren wasteland behind. Netflix has a great documentary on this. Aquafina admitted their water is tap water.http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/27/news/companies/pepsi_coke/

Garlic and broccoli in my pasta dishes blew out my asshole! We’re redecorating the bathroom next week, no choice actually!

asus kybd

Obama or Janet Yellen have a similar affect on me, they give me gas!

asus kybd

I once had the Mexican pizza at Taco Bell with gobs of that red pouch sauce on it. Afterwards, I was on my skateboard and was propelled ~20′ down the driveway without moving. Well, the cheeks moved of course! Immediately after, I noticed strange demonic-looking creatures running from under the porch towards the street sewers yelling “Save us, Jesus… deliver us from EVIL…”. So apparently, Taco Bell Mexican pizza can be re-purposed as do-it-yourself home exorcism kits.

asus kybd

So I wanna lose weight to become more attractive to people by eating food which will cause odd sounds and smells from my ass and thus repel people? Oh yeah, there’s logic in action!

†DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

All testimonials and product reviews are authentic from actual customers. Documentation is available for legal inspection. Product reviews are within range of typicality.

Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor. Global Healing Center does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Global Healing Center are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician. This Web site contains links to Web sites operated by other parties. Such links are provided for your convenience and reference only. We are not responsible for the content or products of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Global Healing Center does not adopt any medical claims which may have been made in 3rd party references.